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Both sides of the equation


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My brother (also a technogadget junkie) saw my 76S while I was driving, and he is determined to go out and get a GPS. He's not going to be using it for caching (at least not yet icon_wink.gif), and he asked me for suggestions.

 

I'm a Garminite. My first was the basic etrex, but my brother wouldn't go with the basic model no matter what. I'm also not sure he would go the $450US up to a 76S, so he's probably somewhere in the middle with something like a Vista. Garmin's website also had a nice little comparison chart that allowed you to select various models and get the specs on each side by side.

 

HOWEVER, I don't want to limit him to just Garmin. What do you Magellan users suggest in that same price range with the pros and cons. Above the Maggie 315. I notice on GPSstore.com the Platinum is the same price as a Garmin Vista.

 

Comments?

 

Markwell

Chicago Geocachers

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http://www.offroute.com/comparisons/gps-compare.html

 

some of the 'notable' features at the bottom a missing a few in the Magellan's (like the tides/fishing-hunting/moon-sun stuff) but it's a goood starting point.

 

I'm also torn betweenthe Vista and the Meri-Plat (as my recent 3 posts show)....

 

Pros for the Meri-Plat that I've found (please correct/ammend):

-the antenna (vis a vis the eTrex),

-the SD cards,

-the 'more detailed' stock database,

-using 'all' trackpoints to make a route (the eTrex's [all Garmins?] use some, which means you might 'cut corners' when retracing and run aground, etc),

-actual barometer display,

-"3-d" e-compass (supposedly, the Vista has to be held flat [parallel to the ground], whereas the MeriPlat does not),

-proximity alarm (only to the last waypoint)

-when driving, with the Magellan add-on maps, it'll show 'next intersection' like the upper-in-car-Garmins

 

Pros for the Vista:

 

-~26 more datums than the Meri's

-smaller

-more resolution in screen (although 'smaller')

-altimeter goest to 30k' (MeriPlat to 17.5k')

-50 waypoints per route/track (Meri's only 30 per)

-external antennae (i've read NO IT DOESN'T in other posts, but the REI guy I spoke to today has a Legend and swears he puts his in his pocket and has an external antennae velcro'd to the top of his pack. He showed me the connection point at the top/back area for the ant.)

-i've read it's compass (if you keep it level) is more accurate than the Meri's

-larger user base for the Garmins

 

... I'm blanking on the rest.

 

Both can be found online for $289, and both have a 1 year warr.

 

It's my first, like your bro's, so I'm not tied to the user-interface/menu/brand loyalty...

 

I'm still undecided, but leaning towards the Meri.Plat.

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No, there is no connector for any external antenna on any eTrex unit. The only thing you can use is a re-readiating antenna, which retransmits what it receives just above the built-in antenna of the eTrex. But such a design has to be powered on its own, unlike what you can do if you remove the antenna from a GPS V, for example, and put a piece of cable between the antenna and the GPSr.

 

Anders

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The most recent Magellan firmware upgrade also allows the Meridians to store/retrieve an unlimited (for all practical purposes) number of waypoints/routes/tracks to and from the onboard SD data card.

I was recently traveling to three different cities and had geocaching waypoint files on the SD card for each and was able to save each day's detailed track files to the card for uploading to my PC when I got back home. If you're away from your PC with all of your GPS software for any length of time, this is an incredibly handy feature.

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Anders,

 

thankx for clarifying.

 

quote:
Originally posted by infosponge:

The most recent Magellan firmware upgrade also allows the Meridians to store/retrieve an unlimited (for all practical purposes) number of waypoints/routes/tracks to and from the onboard SD data card.

I was recently traveling to three different cities and had geocaching waypoint files on the SD card for each and was able to save each day's detailed track files to the card for uploading to my PC when I got back home. If you're away from your PC with all of your GPS software for any length of time, this is an incredibly handy feature.


 

really? cool.

 

so you're saying that the 20/30/2000 (tracks/waypoints-per-track/total-tracklog-points) is gone?

 

ie1: you can have 40 'routes' if your SD card has the space?

 

ie2: you can have 78 waypoints in a long route/track?

 

ie3: you can have 4532 tracklog points (if you tracked once per second on a hike that lasted just over 1 hour and 15 minutes) associated with one route/track if your SD card has the space?

 

any idea what happens as you approach the 'capacity'? (does it just stop recording, or provide warning)

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That's a cute feature! Does it work like "secondary storage", meaning that you can save your whatever points to the card, then collect or make new in the unit, then save them too and so on? Or only one set on each card?

 

Or is it actually an extension to the memory of the unit??

 

Anders

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quote:
That's a cute feature! Does it work like "secondary storage", meaning that you can save your whatever points to the card, then collect or make new in the unit, then save them too and so on? Or only one set on each card?

 

Or is it actually an extension to the memory of the unit??


 

There is a menu that allows one to save/restore to files on the SD card. Track and waypoint/routes are treated separately. You are allowed as many such files as the card will hold.

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Yes, you can visualize it as secondary storage. At any time you can save the currently loaded routes or waypoints or track to a file on the SD memory card, and also retrieve any of said items.

It's very handy...I have local waypoint files for several sets of benchmarks, geocaches, favorite places, etc., and can bring each into memory when I want to without cluttering the display with items I don't want to see.

I can save a record of my fully detailed track log to the card after I finish each cache and pull them into my computer later on when I'm home without having to break them into individual cache track logs, etc...

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quote:
Originally posted by Anders:

No, there is no connector for any external antenna on any eTrex unit. The only thing you can use is a re-readiating antenna, which retransmits what it receives just above the built-in antenna of the eTrex. But such a design has to be powered on its own, unlike what you can do if you remove the antenna from a GPS V, for example, and put a piece of cable between the antenna and the GPSr.

 

Anders


I believe it is a rather pricey item also.

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